Chapter 83

Neutral Nations Conference (3)

Who is the 7th Lord?

Teir fell into a moment of contemplation.

It was just a brief encounter. It was impossible to judge a person by that alone.

'...Still, I don’t think he’s a villain.'

After all, he saved him from almost becoming a cripple during their first meeting.

Though it was puzzling, Teir only felt gratitude towards the 7th Lord, not a hint of negativity.

"I don’t think he’s a villain. I also don’t think he has any hidden motives. At least, that’s what I feel."

Longford gazed at Teir with a serious expression, then let out a small sigh.

He really couldn’t understand.

He was already dealing with a headache because of Kasol, and now his son, who had returned after two years, brought another major concern.

It was hard for Longford to believe that the ruler of Caldric would help Teir out of pure kindness. Whether he was a villain or not wasn’t the issue.

Not knowing the other party’s intentions was dangerous in itself.

Especially if the other party was a formidable opponent that they couldn’t handle.

The new 7th Lord of Caldric, about whom no reliable information was available.

He had recently killed the 6th Lord, and the Grand Lord had brought this 7th Lord to the conference.

And for some reason, the 7th Lord seemed to be interested in Teir...

Longford tried to organize his jumbled thoughts.

For now, the conference was the priority. There was no point in dwelling on things he couldn’t figure out.

"Alright, I understand. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Teir hesitated and shook his head.

"No, nothing else."

"..."

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

Just as he was about to bow and leave the room, Lucas, the Crown Prince, spoke up.

"Father, what if Teir participates in the conference in my place?"

Teir was startled and turned to look at him.

"Brother, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said."

Lucas continued calmly.

"Everyone saw the 7th Lord deliberately speak to you. If you don’t participate in the conference and I do, it might offend him."

Each nation can send one representative and one observer to the conference.

Originally, Lucas, the Crown Prince, was supposed to attend as the observer, but he was suggesting that Teir take his place.

"What do you think, Father?"

Longford seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.

"You’re right. Teir, can you participate in the conference?"

"No... I..."

Teir looked back and forth between the two men, then reluctantly nodded.

He couldn’t refuse a request after being absent for so long.

It wasn’t a difficult task to just stand there.

"Alright, I understand. I’ll participate in the conference."

"Thank you."

Teir hesitated and bowed.

"Anyway, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

As Teir left the room, Seri, who had been watching Longford, followed him out.

Longford sighed again, looking at the closed door.

Lucas, who had been standing quietly, spoke cautiously.

"Father, even if we can’t understand the 7th Lord’s intentions, if he shows a friendly stance towards Ershill at this conference..."

"Don’t get your hopes up."

Longford cut him off firmly.

The Grand Lord had never interfered in the affairs of neutral nations. It was unlikely that this would change at this conference.

In the end, it was best not to expect any help from Caldric.

'Phew...'

Longford felt even more exhausted and continued to think about the upcoming conference.

***

The next day, the day of the conference arrived.

Ershill, Kasol, Matore, Plagas, and Rajan.

The kings of the five neutral nations entered the conference room early and took their seats at the round table.

They had to arrive before the Grand Lord of Caldric and the Emperor of Saintea.

Behind them, the princes and princesses who were attending as observers stood.

Neutral Nations Conference.

As the name suggests, the agenda items discussed at the conference were related to issues between the neutral nations.

The main agenda item this time, as everyone knew, was the conflict between Ershill and Kasol.

Before the Emperor and the Grand Lord arrived, the atmosphere was quiet, with no one speaking.

Zordan, the Crown Prince of Kasol, kept glancing at the Ershill side.

'...It’s the 2nd Prince, not the 1st Prince.'

The observer standing behind the Ershill king was the 2nd Prince Teir, not the 1st Prince Lucas.

This had left the Kasol side puzzled all day.

They couldn’t understand the connection between the new 7th Lord and the 2nd Prince Teir.

'Even though the Grand Lord of Caldric has never interfered in the affairs of neutral nations...'

The true intentions of the 7th Lord were unclear.

An unexpected variable had emerged from an unexpected source.

"The Emperor of the Saintea Empire is entering."

At the low voice, the five kings stood up.

The Emperor soon appeared in the conference room, accompanied by the 2nd Princess Aren.

They took their seats at the table, and the atmosphere in the room became even more tense.

After a short while...

"The Grand Lord and the 7th Lord of the Caldric Lord Council are entering."

The kings stood up again.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the silence, and a man and a woman entered the conference room.

The Grand Lord and the 7th Lord of Caldric.

They took the last two seats, directly opposite the Emperor.

Originally, each nation could send one representative and one observer, with the observer standing behind the table. However, the 7th Lord sat next to the Grand Lord.

Technically, the Caldric Lord Council was a federation of ten nations, and the 7th Lord was the leader of one of those nations.

This was the first time the Grand Lord had brought another lord to the conference.

No one dared to raise any objections.

With everyone in their seats, Longford, after looking around the table, began the conference.

"The conference will now begin."

***

The first agenda item was a minor trade dispute between the Kingdom of Rajan and the Kingdom of Plagas.

"As you know, the northeastern trade route is extremely rugged. Tariffs should be carefully considered, King Soric."

"Of course, I acknowledge that, but I still think this is an issue that needs to be addressed. In recent years, the amount of salt imported from Rajan has..."

The conference proceeded with the conflicting nations discussing the issues, and the others occasionally offering their opinions.

'This reminds me of my first time at the Lord Council.'

I mostly tuned out the discussions, which I couldn’t understand.

The minor issues between the nations were irrelevant to me.

During this time, the Grand Lord and the Emperor didn’t say a single word.

'The Grand Lord is just not interested...'

I glanced to the side.

She was tapping her fingers on the armrest and humming a tune so softly that it was barely audible.

She seemed completely uninterested in the conference proceedings.

And the Emperor, seeing that the Grand Lord was silent, had no reason to provoke him.

The conference went more smoothly than I expected.

The agenda items passed one by one until it was time for Ershill and Kasol.

"We claim the territory of the Rovalf Plain, which borders Ershill, King Longford."

At the direct statement from the King of Kasol, the expression of the King of Ershill and the 2nd Prince Teir, standing behind him, hardened.

I straightened my back, which had been leaning against the chair.

'So it’s come to this.'

I had done some research before the conference, so I knew what Kasol was fixated on.

The Rovalf Plain.

One of the largest granaries of the Kingdom of Ershill, a land of gold.

"Kasol has no right to claim the Rovalf Plain. It is clearly Ershill’s territory, located within our borders."

Despite the King of Ershill’s firm statement, the King of Kasol continued his argument without blinking.

"We have been claiming the rights to Rovalf for over 20 years, presenting credible evidence that cannot be denied."

"Evidence? You mean the absurd documents you presented at the last conference? Where is the credibility in those documents...?"

The debate between the two kings went like this.

The King of Kasol cited records from the royal archives, claiming that Rovalf was originally an important territory of Kasol, while Ershill refuted this, saying it was baseless.

While Kasol’s claims seemed far-fetched, no one challenged them.

The other three nations, which were aligned with Saintea, wouldn’t oppose the Emperor.

Thus, the legitimacy of Kasol’s claims was irrelevant. This was the nature of conflicts between nations.

"We have peacefully claimed our rights to Rovalf countless times. If Kasol continues to be ignored, we will no longer stand idly by."

The King of Kasol declared.

"If Ershill insists on maintaining its current stance, Kasol will not hesitate to go to war."

War.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned cold.

Despite the serious declaration, no one was surprised. Everyone had known this would happen.

Not only did they know, but the other three nations were already on Kasol’s side.

I glanced at Teir.

He was looking at the King of Ershill with a stern expression.

The King of Ershill glared at the King of Kasol with anger in his eyes.

"How can you so easily speak of war...?"

"It’s not a decision made lightly. I want you to understand the firm resolve of Kasol, King Longford."

"..."

"I would like to hear the opinions of the others on this matter."

As the King of Kasol looked around, the other three kings chimed in.

"I believe Kasol’s claims are reasonable. This is not an issue for Rajan to interfere with."

"Matore agrees."

"Plagas as well."

The smooth responses made the King of Ershill grimace.

Finally, the Emperor spoke.

"Saintea has no intention of interfering in the conflict between the two nations."

The Emperor had no reason to interfere in their war.

Simply put, Kasol was more cooperative with Saintea.

Additionally, Saintea could use this as leverage to control Kasol later, and Kasol was willing to accept this to attack Ershill.

Now, only the Grand Lord remained.

The King of Kasol glanced at the Grand Lord and me.

The Grand Lord, who had been sitting with a bored expression, yawned and spoke.

"Caldric has no intention of interfering. Do as you please."

The King of Kasol’s face, which had shown a hint of anxiety, now showed a faint glimmer of joy.

I thought for a moment.

The war between Ershill and Kasol.

In the original game’s main story, the war between the two nations hadn’t started yet.

Whether the declaration was premature or if my presence had caused a butterfly effect, I couldn’t be sure...

Regardless, Kasol would now use Rovalf as a pretext to gradually take over Ershill.

The two nations had similar power, but in the game, Kasol had also received support from the other three nations, making it difficult for Ershill to defend against their invasion.

"What will you do, King Longford? Kasol is prepared for war."

The King of Kasol’s voice was relaxed, as if he had nothing to fear.

His only concern was Caldric’s interference, but the Grand Lord’s statement had eliminated that worry.

Kasol’s only mistake was assuming that the Grand Lord’s statement included my intentions.

I had no intention of not interfering in the war between the two nations.

"If you plan to start a war, I will support Ershill."

Everyone’s attention turned to me, with looks of surprise, shock, and disbelief.

The King of Kasol, unable to continue, blinked and looked at the Grand Lord.

"Didn’t Caldric say it wouldn’t interfere...?"

The Grand Lord tilted her head and looked at me.

"7th Lord, I won’t authorize the use of military power from the 7th Lord’s territory for this matter."

I already knew that.

Military action outside Caldric required the Grand Lord’s approval.

I stared at the Grand Lord.

She narrowed her eyes, then seemed to understand and smiled.

"Ha, hahaha! Oh, I see. Then I won’t be involved."

The others looked bewildered, not understanding the situation.

"I must have been misunderstood."

I turned my gaze back to the King of Kasol.

"Caldric will not interfere in the war. Not a single soldier, knight, or mage will be deployed."

I said to him, who was blinking in confusion.

"I will support the Kingdom of Ershill, but it will be just me, not Caldric."